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It is early October.

An election is fast approaching, along with all of its requisite vitriol.

As emotions become more volatile, as words become our weapon of choice, I offer a word of warning. A plea, to myself as well as to you.

I’ve already spoken of how important it is for us, the Church, to be unified.

Not for us to agree on everything, but to love each other. To love each other no matter what.

This is so important that it was one of the last things Jesus asked of God before He was crucified.

Why is this particularly important right now, in this month, in this country?

As this election looms closer and larger before our wide open eyes, we are afraid.

And fear causes us to do crazy things, both to each other and to those around us who are outside of the Church.

You and I, we who claim to follow Christ, we are falling out of power.

The America of the past – the America of white, Protestant government, is becoming just that. A thing of the past.

Abortion.

Gay marriage.

Transgenders in the military.

Whatever you personally believe about these and other similar issues, most would admit that they are not generally promoted as God-sanctioned by the Evangelical church as a whole.

Just a look at these issues in our country today strips away the illusion that we are in control.

Many are fighting back against this. “Make America great again!” “Take back America!”

We as a Church are good at fighting.

Throughout our history, we have fought wars, both collectively and personally, against anyone who tries to take away our power.

Our earthly power, that is.

You can look as far back as the first twelve leaders of our church, as far back as Peter, to see our blind tendency to misinterpret what Jesus actually seems to teach.

When Jesus speaks of His kingdom, we assume that He means a kingdom here on earth.

A kingdom that forces everyone to live under God’s rule.

The sort of kingdom we seem to want America to be.

This is what Peter believed. Jesus spoke of the kingdom of God and how close it was, and Peter decided to help it along by using his sword to start slicing off ears.

Jesus, however, picked up that ear, placed it back onto it’s owner’s head, and walked quietly off to meet His death.

We are losing power in this country, and perhaps this is a good thing.

The kingdom of God has never increased by force; rather, the kingdom seems to expand most quickly when those who are in power are against it.

Jesus speaks over and over again about His kingdom coming through the humble, the weak, the foolish. He is adamant that the kingdom of God is not about force or any kind of earthly power.

Jesus tells His disciples in Matthew that all of the kings and rulers exercise their authority in one way but you, you who call yourself My disciples, are to do things another way.

He tells them that you are to bring forth My kingdom by becoming a servant, by giving up your life for all.

Everything we do to live out God’s kingdom here on earth must be done under the shadow of the cross.

Perhaps we should stop fighting to regain political power and start figuring out how to further God’s kingdom in this new America. Perhaps we should remember that God’s kingdom grows best one soul at a time through lives lived in quiet love and service.

Perhaps we should stop slicing off ears and instead begin the work of healing by dying to ourselves as we live as Jesus did. We can start by loving each other.

Art credit: Photograph of cathedral by Kirk Sewell; Image of the Croisés from 1922; St. Peter Cuts the Slave’s Ear by Duccio di Buoninsegna